more noms: mung bean stew with butternut squash

found here.

noms: 6-inch triple layer Chocolate Genoise Cake with a Raspberry Crème Fraiche filling covered in a Marshmallow Meringue Frosting and completely glazed with a Shiny Chocolate Ganche

.. so there.

found here.

kenya: cradle of africa, birthplace of homophobic fuckwittery

good to know there are still some places on the planet where civilisation has yet to encroach. this from the advocate:

Prime Minister Raila Odinga of Kenya called for gay men and lesbians to be arrested in a speech on Sunday.

According to the BBC, the comments were believed to be the first such threat from Odinga. Gay rights activist David Kuria called the remarks surprising given that Odinga is popular and, unlike leaders in neighboring Uganda, had no obvious reason to use gay people for political leverage.

Odinga made the comments in a speech to his constituency in the Nairobi slum of Kibera, the BBC reports.

“We will not tolerate such behaviours in the country,” he said. “The constitution is very clear on this issue and men or women found engaging in homosexuality will not be spared.”

Odinga denied reports that the new Kenya constitution allows same-sex marriages.

Earlier this year, five people were arrested in Mombasa following reports that they tried to organize a wedding for a same-sex couple.

vale Irvin Kershner

director of clearly the best star wars film of the six, the empire strikes back. but director of so much more than that. never say never again — possibly the best of sean connery’s bonds. robocop II, infinitely better than the original.

this from George Lucas in the new york times:

The world has lost a great director and one of the most genuine people I’ve had the pleasure of knowing. Irvin Kershner was a true gentleman in every sense of the word. When I think of Kersh, I think of his warmth, his thoughtfulness and his talent. I knew him from U.S.C. – I attended his lectures and he was actually on the festival panel that gave the prize to my THX short. I considered him a mentor.

Following “Star Wars,” I knew one thing for sure: I didn’t want to direct the second movie myself. I needed someone I could trust, someone I really admired and whose work had maturity and humor. That was Kersh all over. I didn’t want “Empire” to turn into just another sequel, another episode in a series of space adventures. I was trying to build something, and I knew Kersh was the guy to help me do it. He brought so much to the table. I am truly grateful to him.

He was a friend as well as a colleague. He will be missed.

you can read the whole thing here.

i saw empire strikes back, probably 10-12 times in the cinema. star wars changed my life. empire convinced me it wasn’t a fluke. and it was my first experience of being left craving the next episode like i was an alcoholic craving my next beer.

awesome.

right-wing twat claims gay TSA officers will get turned on by patdowns

oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.

It’s doubtful that those travelers were worried about whether or not the TSA agent conducting the screen was getting “turned on” in the process. But that is exactly the concern voiced by Peter LaBarbera, a long-time anti-gay activist and director of Americas for Truth About Homosexuality (AFTHA).

LaBarbera’s issued a press release detailing his concern that gay TSA employees will “get turned on” while patting down travelers of the same sex. LaBarbera challenged the TSA, arguing that if it is inappropriate for a male TSA worker to conduct a pat down of a female traveler, the same is true for gay employees. According to LaBarbera this is the perfect opportunity for gay workers to get a cheap thrill, all at the expense of an innocent traveler.

LaBarbera has demanded that the TSA put conditions of employment for self-acknowledged homosexuals and bar them from patting down travelers “so as to avoid being put in sexually compromising situations.”

So far the TSA has not commented on LaBarbera’s charges or his demands.

you can read the full twattage here.

want

found at hypebeast.

what a tattoo means by location

found here.

newlyweds fighting to stop deportation

to say this cuts close to the bone for me is an understatement. there are two differences between this couple and my partner of almost 15 years. first, they are married. we haven’t been fortunate enough to be together in the same place in a state/country that has legalised same-sex marriage. and second, they are together in the same country.

Josh Vandiver and Henry Velandia got married in August 2010

Same-sex couples where one partner is not a US citizen say they fear the prospect of being forced to live apart. While gay marriage is permitted in a small number of US states, federal law prevents same-sex partners from sponsoring their spouse’s visa and allowing them to stay in America.

“It was amazing. It was what I’d always imagined,” says Joshua Vandiver, reflecting on the day he married his boyfriend Henry Velandia.

The couple, who met in Princeton, had been together for four years before they tied the knot in Connecticut this summer. But, unlike most newly-weds, the post-honeymoon glow is tinged with a feeling of fear about their future.

“I’m very scared that Henry could be torn away from me,” says Mr Vandiver. “It’s a very frightening thing.”

The couple are waiting for the verdict of an immigration judge, who has the power to send Mr Velandia back to his home country, Venezuela.

Mr Velandia’s US visa has expired, but he is unable to qualify for a spouse visa, because the couple are in a same-sex marriage.

(read the rest over at the BBC.)

my partner and i could have done this. i’ve been in the US many times. i could have chosen to just melt into the background, effectively disappearing and becoming one of the millions of illegal aliens living in the US. and, god knows, there wasn’t one visit that went by that i didn’t consider doing exactly that. one trip i even started looking for a cash job in readiness.

but we knew that if i was caught i would be deported and that doesn’t just mean being kicked out of the country. it means being unable to return for a long period of time (i think that used to be five years, but that may have changed), if at all.

we decided to do it legally, in every respect. and that means that we have been together in the same place for the grand total of, i think, 15 weeks in 15 years.

as it happens i haven’t been to the US to see her since 2002. she’s never been here. money is an issue.

y’know what? don’t ever tell me gays and lesbians don’t understand commitment or what marriage is. don’t. ever.

loving national geographic’s galleries right now

how could you not?

find the magnificence right here.

Wong gay push sparks fears of Labor hijacking

y’know … i bet it feels a little bit like coming out, all over again. proud of you, senator.

Senator Penny Wong, pictured with partner Sophie Allouache, left, has spoken about the need for the Labor Party to respect the principles of equality. Picture: Ray Strange

this from news.com.au:

Senior cabinet ministers now believe it is “inevitable” that a conscience vote on same-sex marriage will be endorsed at the ALP’s national conference late next year, setting the scene for parliament to debate legislative reform in 2012.

Senator Wong’s public comments follow reports that Kevin Rudd struck a secret deal when he was prime minister with the openly gay MP and Anthony Albanese to move on same-sex civil unions and allow a conscience vote on the issue.

South Australian senator Don Farrell, one of the so-called faceless men who played a pivotal role in the dumping of Mr Rudd and a switch of right-wing votes to Ms Gillard, warned that the consequences of such a path could destroy the government.

y’know what? i think that’s horseshit. you can read the whole thing here.

and just quietly, why am i the last to know that Bob Brown is openly gay? what planet have i been living on?

Greens federal leader Bob Brown with long-time partner Paul Thomas / File

AUSTRALIA’S most prominent gay politician and a driving force behind the push to legalise gay marriage has decided not to marry his long-time partner if gay marriage is legalised.

Despite all the thought and energy he has put into changing the law, Greens leader Bob Brown says he has not turned his mind to whether he would marry his partner, Paul Thomas.

“It hasn’t figured in my thinking,” Senator Brown told The Sunday Telegraph.

“Paul and I registered our partnership in Tasmania surrounded by a group of friends. It’s not something that I’ve really considered.”

Although he is equivocating on the issue, the 65-year-old Tasmanian Senator and medical doctor has told others he does not intend to marry – despite strongly believing a change in the law will make a big difference to other gay couples.

You can read the whole thing here.